Most Recent Articles...
09/02/02 - Death of a Double Dealer
When Allied armies invaded North Africa in 1942, the objectives of Operation Torch exceeded the clearing out
of Axis forces. Roosevelt's personal dislike of De Gaulle led him to support the Vichy Admiral, Darlan, as a
leader for post-war France – against the advice of Churchill. In order to save Operation Torch, and gain the
aid of the Free-French in North Africa, Churchill ordered Darlan's assassination...
This article was written by Kelly Bell for World War II Magazine in March 1997.
08/26/02 - A Secret Ear for the Desert Fox
During the 1941–1942 tug of war for North Africa, the British benefited from radio-intercept-derived Ultra
information. Despite that Allied advantage, however, for six months and 11 days the Germans enjoyed an even
speedier, more across-the-board intelligence source. Brevet Colonel Bonner Frank Fellers, the US military
attaché in Cairo, was Rommel's unwitting source.
This article was written by Wil Deac and originally published in World War II Magazine in September
1996.
08/20/02 - Adinkra Symbology
Adinkra is a cloth produced in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire which has traditional Akan symbols stamped upon it –
the symbols represent proverbs, historical events, particular attitudes, or philosophical concepts.
08/19/02 - The Man Who Never Was
When the North African campaign was drawing to a close, the Allies' next target was painfully obvious: Sicily.
It was the shortest route from North Africa to Hitler's Europe. The Allies realized that the enemy must be
misled as to where they would strike next. The result was an intricate and massive hoax which became one of
the most successful deception operations in the history of modern warfare.
This article was written by David T. Zabecki for World War II Magazine in November 1995.
08/12/02 - Ambushed by the Afrika
Corps
Angry winds from the Sahara lashed the mountains and plains of central Tunisia just before dawn on Sunday,
February 14, 1943 – St. Valentine's Day. The howling currents and swirling dust cloaked the maneuvers of
advancing German armored battle groups. At 0400 hours, with resolute purpose, elements of the crack 10th and
21st Panzer divisions had launched an attack through Faid and Maizila passes.
This article was written by Robert A. Newton for World War II Magazine in September 2002.
08/05/02 - Nelson and the Nile
The sudden swoop of a British fleet commanded by the bold young Vice Adm. Sir Horatio Nelson stunned the
French naval force in Aboukir Bay in 1798, crushing General Napoleon Bonaparte's dreams for an Eastern empire.
This article was written by John Woolford and originally published in Military History Magazine in
August 1998.
07/29/02 - Night of the Assegais
At the tiny British station of Rorke's Drift in Southeast Africa, 140 men huddled behind walls of mealie bags
and biscuit boxes faced 4,000 Zulu warriors in hours of battle that swirled room to room.
This article was written by Luther Y. Gore and originally published in Military History Magazine in
February 1985.
07/22/02 - Zulu Mountain Trap Sprung
Colonel Henry Evelyn Wood had expected little trouble as his cavalry ascended Hlobane Mountain. What he got
was a Zulu army, 22,000 men strong.
This article was written by William Watson Race and Jon Guttman and originally published in Military
History Magazine in June 1996.
07/15/02 - Top 4 Ancient Africa Wargame Rule Books
A selection of rule sets for wargaming ancient African battles.
07/08/02 - Top 4 Colonial Africa Wargame Source
Books
A selection of books with background information useful to wargamers gaming the Colonial Africa period.
07/01/02 - Review: Battle in Africa 1879–1914
by Howard Whitehouse
This well researched and detailed source book provides an unrivaled and essential introduction to Colonial
campaigns in Africa.
06/24/02 - P-38 Ace in the Mediterranean Theater
Flying over North Africa, Sicily and Italy in 1943, Frank Hurlbut helped wrest the Mediterranean sky from the
best fighters and pilots the Luftwaffe had to offer.
By Mary Lou Colbert Neale for Aviation History Magazine.
Why was Frank Hurlbut the only flight officer ace in the 82nd Fighter Group.
By Mary Lou Colbert Neale for Aviation History Magazine.
06/17/02 - Book Review: With Both Hands
Waving by Justin Fox
An insightful and highly entertaining account of a journey across Mozambique, a country that's emerging from
30 years of isolation due to revolution and civil war.
06/10/02 - Bill Lancaster: Lost in the Sahara
Help came 29 years too late for Captain Bill Lancaster, missing on a record-chasing flight from England to
South Africa.
By Terry Gwynn-Jones for Aviation History Magazine.
05/26/02 - Review: The Sword and the Flame
Larry Brom's The Sword and the Flame is a spectacular rule set for wargaming conflicts between the
armies of the British Empire and its various foes: Zulu, Dervish, Egyptian, and Boer.
05/19/02 - Ethiopia's Decisive Victory at Adowa
Italian General Oreste Baratieri knew he was outnumbered. But he seriously underestimated his Ethiopian
opponents--and overestimated the merits of his own battle plan.
An article written for Military History Magazine by Greg Blake.
05/05/02 - Conflict In Late 19th Century Ethiopia This period of conflict starts with General Napier's expedition to "chastise" Emperor Tewodros II and ends with the Battle of Adowa, in which Emperor Menelik II's indigenous Ethiopian army crushed the military might of Italy.
04/10/02 - Biography: Martin Thembisile
(Chris) Hani
The assassination of Chris Hani, the charismatic leader of the South African Communist Party, was pivotal to
the ending of Apartheid. Why was he such a threat?
03/21/02 - Sharpeville Massacre
On 21 March 1960 at least 180 black Africans were injured and 69 killed when South African police opened fire
on approximately 300 demonstrators at the township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging in the Transvaal.
03/04/02 - Stephen Bantu (Steve) Biko
The brutal circumstances of Biko's death in a Pretoria prison cell caused a worldwide outcry and he became a
martyr and symbol of black resistance to the oppressive Apartheid regime.
02/14/02 - Olive Emilie Albertina Schreiner
Olive Schreiner, the first South African novelist of consequence, achieved international fame with The
Story of an African Farm. She was also an outspoken advocate of feminism, socialism and pacifism and a
critic of European imperialism.
01/10/02 - Mary Henrietta Kingsley
Mary Kingsley, explorer and writer, greatly influenced European ideas about Africa and its people. As a result
of her travels in West Africa she became an outspoken critic of European colonialism and a champion for
indigenous customs.
